Graduation
by Firestarhk
Summary: This is a Roseanne AU where Becky and Mark had a daughter, Leah, born seven years before Darlene and David had Harris. In this one-shot, Leah prepares to graduate college, and while she's happy to be surrounded by family, she still misses her dad. Roseanne is still alive at this point.


"You almost ready, honey?" 43-year-old Becky Healy stood in the doorway of her 22-year-old daughter Leah's bedroom. Leah slowly turned from the full-length mirror standing in the corner of her room.

"Almost. Ugh, do I really have to wear this dress?" she looked down at the dress covered in a primary floral print that her great aunt Jackie had gotten for this special day.

"I mean, you're an adult – I'm not gonna make you do anything," Becky chuckled. "But Aunt Jackie picked that out just for your college graduation – couldn't you just wear it for today? It would mean so much to her. Plus, she paid for it, and we Conners don't usually turn down free clothes," she grinned.

"I mean…I guess," Leah sighed. "But I'm going to be wearing my gown over it. How will she know the difference?"

"Well, it's up to you," Becky said. "But you'd better make a decision quick – we've gotta leave soon. We've got a lot of family coming and Granny Rose and Grandpa Dan will want good seats!"

"A lot of family, except for one," Leah sighed sadly. "God, I wish Dad were here." Becky walked up behind Leah and put a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I know, me too. He'd be so proud of you, Leah Rebecca Healy."

Leah gave a soft smile while blinking back tears. "All right, I'll just wear this dress. Let's go before I ruin my makeup." They headed for the apartment building's parking lot, got in their car and headed for Chicago.

The ceremony went off without a hitch; Leah didn't trip as she walked across the stage to accept her diploma, and she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Learning from the University of Illinois at Chicago. After the ceremony, she found her family. Her mom was there of course, as were her grandparents Dan and Roseanne, Aunt Darlene, Uncle David, and double cousins Mark and Harris, plus Uncle DJ, Aunt Geena, Cousin Mary, Great Aunt Jackie, and Nana Bev.

"There's our college grad!" Grandpa Dan wrapped Leah up in one of his big bear hugs, as Granny Rose waited her turn.

"We're so proud of you!" Granny Rose hugged Leah and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thanks," Leah smiled.

"Good work, kid," Aunt Darlene said, she and Uncle David each gave Leah a hug.

"Congratulations, Leah," Little Mark gave his big cousin a hug, and she rumpled his hair a bit. "Thanks Mark."

"Harris, don't you have anything you want to tell your big cousin?" Darlene prompted.

"Um, congrats, I guess," Harris said casually, staring at the ground.

"Thanks, Harris, I know you really mean that," Leah teased.

Aunt Geena, Uncle DJ, Mary, and Nana Bev all offered Leah their congratulations. Then, Aunt Jackie walked up to her.

"You know, you were really terrific up there," Jackie said enthusiastically. "Must've been the dress," she chuckled and tried to playfully elbow Leah, a little too hard. Leah just smiled and rubbed her shoulder tenderly. "Thanks Aunt Jackie. And thanks again for the dress. It's really, um…colorful," she tried to grin as sincerely as possible.

"No problem

After the graduation, the family headed for one of Leah's favorite local Chicago restaurants to celebrate. After nearly a half-hour wait for a table that could accommodate their large group, Granny Rose finally said, "screw it, let's go home and order pizza."

The pizza was delicious, as was the congratulatory cake Granny Rose and Aunt Geena had baked for the special day. Leah was glad to spend time with her family, but she had somewhere she wanted to go before it got too dark. Finally, the families began to depart, and goodbyes were said. On the drive back to their apartment, Leah asked Becky if they could stop at the Lanford Cemetery for a bit. Knowingly, Becky agreed.

Upon arrival at the Lanford Cemetery, Leah got out. "I'll only be a few minutes," she told Becky. Becky nodded. "I'll be waiting right here," Leah walked to her father's gravestone. "Mark Healy 1973-2002," it read. Leah stood silently for a few moments before clearing her throat.

"Hi, Dad," Leah said. "Um…I miss you like crazy. I graduated today – wish you could've been there. The auditorium was packed. I was more nervous than I'd ever been, but I didn't trip – I know you would've been proud of that," she laughed a little bit, feeling the tears coming on. "I think about you every day," she continued. "Wish you had gotten to meet Little Mark and Mary – they're a lot of fun. Harris is fun too, usually," she laughed again. "Anyway, I just wanted to fill you in – I know I haven't been here in a while, I'm sorry. Now that I'm back in Lanford full-time, I'll visit a lot more – I promise. Love you, Daddy," she stood silently for a few more seconds before turning around and heading back to her mom's car.


End file.
